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The wine country of Northern California benefits from mild Mediterranean weather and beautiful hilly landscapes. It lies within two hours of San Francisco, making it easy to reach, and it offers a host of outdoor activities, such as a bicycle riding and hot air ballooning. The biggest questions for your trip are how to avoid the crowds and will the weather cooperate.

General

Winter is the rainy season in wine country, with temperatures rarely rising past 60 degrees F and showers common; snowfall is extremely rare. The rain evaporates as spring turns to summer and temperatures can climb into the triple digits in July and August. The air tends to be very humid in areas near the shore, but dries up as you head inland to Napa and Sonoma. Fog appears in the mornings but often burns off by midday.

Spring

Tourist season begins in the spring as the crowds at California wineries begin to swell. Growth first appears on the vines and the vineyards have a lush, green look that intensifies as the year goes on. Wild flowers bloom in the hills, and while the temperatures are fairly warm, they don’t reach the oppressive heights of summer. The spring is ideal for outdoor activities like biking and horseback riding, and for enjoying the various vintages of the region.

Summer

Tourists flock to the wine country in the summer and winery tours run more frequently. Sonoma County has a number of farms as well as wineries, and July and August feature local produce on sale in the area. The crowds turn out for summer events ranging from Fourth of July celebrations to local heritage festivals.

Fall

Fall is harvest season, which allows tourists to witness the process of pressing and bottling the wines. Crowds tend to be fairly large, but not quite as large as in summer. Temperatures cool off slightly, although Indian summers can still push the temperatures into the 90s. The leaves on the vineyards turn a brilliant yellow in the fall, and the evenings stay warm and pleasant.

Winter

Winter is the quietest season in the wine country, when the rains come and the tourists are in short supply. The vineyards are bare as the vines go into hibernation, and outdoor activities are kept to a minimum. In February, the mustard flowers begin to bloom, which adds to the scenery, but overall, the landscape is less vibrant than during the rest of the year.

The Best Time

The best time to visit wine country depends on what you’re after. Spring offers a good combination of nice weather and outdoor activities, while summer visitors need to balance the landscapes and events with the large crowds. Fall is a good time for those with a serious interest in viticulture, while winter provides respite for people hoping to sample the wines and enjoy the local restaurants without great hordes of fellow visitors.

References

About the Author

Robert Vaux has been a professional writer and editor since 1995. He has traveled throughout Europe and North America as well as parts of North Africa. Since 2000 he has been a professional movie critic at Flipside Movie Emporium, the Sci-Fi Movie Page and Mania.com. Vaux has a Master of Arts in English literature from Syracuse University.

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